Diarrheal diseases claim more than (two million) lives a year, 80% of them being children under the age of two. Although antibiotic treatments have been developed, they remain poorly effective due to side effects, including the development of antibiotic resistance. Probiotics are known to have a beneficial effect on diarrheal diseases but their mechanism of action has not yet been completely established.
It is well known that probiotics help maintain a healthy intestinal system. A probiotic is a bacterium, however a good one, that fights off pathogenic bacterium, such as E. coli. Probiotics are found in over-the-counter formulations, such as dietary supplements. Probiotics are also found in many food sources, including, for example, yogurt which comprises Lactobacillus GG.
The mechanism of action of Lactobacillus GG remains elusive. However, based on preliminary studies with E. coli 042, a common enteric pathogen responsible for intestinal disturbances, mechanisms contemplated include: (i) Lactobacillus consumes the nutrients required by a pathogen to survive, establishing an environment in which pathogens are not able to survive; (ii) Lactobacillus directly effects the pathogen via an interaction at the molecular and/or cellular level resulting in death of the pathogen (i.e., phagocytosis); and/or (iii) Lactobacillus secretes a toxin that poisons the environment (indirect effect) or the pathogenic bacteria (direct effect).
The prior art is deficient in antibacterial Lactobacillus GG peptides and methods of their use. The present invention fulfills this longstanding need and desire in the art.